Albinoni: Adagio / Pachelbel: Canon cover

Albinoni: Adagio / Pachelbel: Canon

Herbert von Karajan · 1984

55 min · 10 tracks · classical music

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental
66 /100
Treeline
Higher than 44% of albums we've rated

Polished orchestral performances and strong familiar works carry the programme, while its excerpt-led sequence gives it little album-length arc.

What we noticed

  • The opening Adagio gives way to three consecutive movements of Vivaldi’s La notte, moving from slow, eerie passages into sharply driven Presto sections.
  • Bach’s Air and Pachelbel’s Canon sit back-to-back as slow, sustained string pieces before Gluck and the three-movement Mozart serenade shift the pace.
  • The programme joins complete multi-movement works to standalone excerpts, so its sequence moves by familiar selections rather than a developing dramatic arc.
Composition 25% of the score
7/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
8/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
6/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
5/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
5/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 3/10

Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Adagio in G minor for Strings and Organ 11:51
  • 2 Concerto for Flute, Strings and Harpsichord in G minor, op. 10 no. 2 “La notte”, RV 439: I. Largo – Fantasmi. Presto 3:24
  • 3 Concerto for Flute, Strings and Harpsichord in G minor, op. 10 no. 2 “La notte”, RV 439: II. Largo – Presto 2:15
  • 4 Concerto for Flute, Strings and Harpsichord in G minor, op. 10 no. 2 “La notte”, RV 439: III. Il sonno. Largo – Allegro 3:44
  • 5 Air, from the Suite for Orchestra no. 3 in D major, BWV 1068 6:06
  • 6 Canon and Gigue in D major for 3 Violins and Basso Continuo 7:09
  • 7 Dance of the Blessed Spirits, from the opera “Orpheus and Eurydice” 6:51
  • 8 Serenata notturna in D major, K. 239: I. Marcia. Maestoso 4:23
  • 9 Serenata notturna in D major, K. 239: II. Menuetto 4:39
  • 10 Serenata notturna in D major, K. 239: III. Rondeau. Allegretto – Adagio – Allegro 4:49

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Reference: MusicBrainz